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Alien Crush remake heading to North American WiiWare
Nintendo's WiiWare service has apparently sparked a renewed interest in developing games with one pixelated foot rooted in the past. Following both Capcom and Konami's head start, Hudson has likewise decided to dip into its archives, returning with news to bring the Wii-make of its TurboGrafx-16 sci-fi pinball game, Alien Crush, to North America. Descriptively titled Alien Crush Returns, the download was released today in Japan and is based on the 1988 classic, which itself is available on WiiWare's sister service. While a date for the game's North American debut has not yet been announced, Hudson notes the follow-up will again be played across two screens and an unspecified number of boards, each no doubt filled with galactic baddies with a lust for silver balls. Most interesting, however, is news that Alien Crush Returns will support two-player online play as well as include online leader boards, with Hudson promising multiple online tournaments for the pinball-obsessed to throw down with their E.T. crushing skills. %Gallery-30489%
Alien Crush: new screens before it returns to Japan
Just one day before the Japanese release of Hudson's Alien Crush Returns, we're treated to new screens of the remake/sequel of the glorious Turbografx-16 pinball game. The one above appears to be one of the new boss levels (briefly seen in the trailer), in which you fire pinballs at a grotesque alien rictus. Also highlighted: the two-player versus mode -- which is based on score and time, as far as we can tell, and not simultaneous multiplayer, but we doubt it, because that sounds amazingly insane -- interfering with each other's shots, sharing flippers, and generally just having a frustrating old time. Just knowing that a new Crush pinball game is being released tomorrow somewhere makes the world seem like a happier, warmer place. %Gallery-19346%
Alien Crush Returns to Australia
PAL regions got the first official release of the amazing pinball game Alien Crush just last year via the Virtual Console. According to the OFLC, the new WiiWare version is Australia-bound as well. Not to be too presumptuous, but this suggests a worldwide release as well. We never doubted that Hudson would make Alien Crush Returns available around the world, but it's nice to have some evidence. Also rated: Tetris Party and something called Pit Crew Panic, another Hudson Wii game. We have no idea what that is -- some kind of racing-related thing, sure, but ... could it really be a whole game about replacing tires and such? %Gallery-19346% [Via Siliconera]
New methods of crushing aliens
The WiiWare sequel to Alien Crush is officially the hottest thing ever, even though we're not entirely keen on the new 3D look -- and even though we prefer Devil's Crush to Alien Crush. Among the many reasons it's super hot (reason the first: DUDE ALIEN CRUSH RETURNS) are the new ball upgrades. Reverse Ball allows you to instantly send the ball back the way it was moving. Split Ball enables multiball on the field. Boost Ball boosts the speed of the ball. Strangely, these new "Action Balls" will be available as DLC. We don't know if they're otherwise unlockable, or if they'll be paid DLC or just time-released. They aren't the only Crush DLC, either -- new stages for the game's Story Mode will be available as downloads. %Gallery-19346%
Alien Crush site goes live, offers up loads of content
Hudson has just launched the official Japanese site for upcoming WiiWare title, Alien Crush Returns. Within the site, you'll find a lot of content, including a nice video, along with several screens. Also, if you have some knowledge on translating Japanese, you can find some nice control explanations right here. Overall, it's a pretty neat site that you should check out. Be sure to hit up our gallery below, as well. %Gallery-19346% [Via Go Nintendo]
Marble game accessory modeled after Goatse
If you've managed to get this far in your internet life without running into Goatse, congratulations! Do yourself a favor and keep it that way -- trust us on this one.It has been months since Chinese accessory manufacturers last entertained us with inane Wii remote attachments; we were beginning to fear that they had run out of wacky ideas! But here comes the Ball Bearing Maze Special Salver [sic] to cure our accessory doldrums!With this handy, Kororinpa-branded product, all you need to do is drop your remote into that center compartment, and you'll have more exciting, immersive experience playing marble/labyrinthine games such as Kororinpa: Marble Mania and, uh, that's it. Similarly designed games like Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, and Dewy's Adventure all require easy access to the controller's buttons, so this accessory wouldn't work well with those.Couple that limited support with the Maze Special Salver's pricing, $27.99 plus shipping/handling, and this attachment looks almost as unattractive as the terrible image its design alludes to. You would be better off taping your remote to a cafeteria tray![Via Go Nintendo]
Hudson crafting a new Adventure Island
It may be hard to believe, but it's been 13 years since the last Adventure Island game was released. ... OK, so maybe it's not that hard, the "dude riding a skateboard and collecting eggs" genre isn't exactly thriving. Undeterred, Hudson's Takahashi Meijin says that the company is going back to the well for another Adventure Island game, currently in the early stages of development. Meijin said that the game will probably appear on WiiWare, but noted concern about trying to shoehorn motion control into the game, making him (we believe) the very first Wii developer to ever, ever worry about that. Congratulations, Takahashi!
Hudson US president resigns post
There's been a changing of the guard at Hudson Entertainment, the North American flavor of Konami-owned Hudson Soft, as president and CEO John Greiner will take his leave of the company on May 15. Hudson notes that it currently has no plans to look for new blood to bring in to replace Greiner, instead stating that the U.S. division's senior exec and chairman Seiichi Ishigaki will step in to fill his shoes. Citing the reason for his departure, the 20-year exec noted plans to "spend time with his family and pursue personal interests," which knowing Hudson as we do probably means hemming them into a corner with a bomb before admiring the carnage from a safe distance. Once the smoke clears, we wish Greiner the very best.
WiiWare now worthwhile: Hudson reveals Alien Crush sequel, more
Look at that. Look at it. That is a screenshot of a new Alien Crush game. Even if it is a little ugly, it's the most beautiful thing ever. If we didn't already have a Wii, we'd be camping out for one right now based on this alone -- seriously. And it's WiiWare! With online leaderboards! (Online leaderboards for Alien Crush? Where would you get an idea like that?) Just like with the Virtual Console, Hudson has proven that they know how to support a download service. Alien Crush is coming out in Japan in August, and it had better come out worldwide near that time. Including the stuff shown today (and Star Soldier R), Hudson has ten WiiWare titles planned. This AMAZING NEWS was revealed at a Hudson event in a Brazilian restaurant in Shibuya, along with Blue Oasis, a virtual fish-tank type game that interacts with the Forecast Channel. It'll be out sometime this year. Hit the break for screens, as well as some new Tetris and Bomberman images! %Gallery-19346%
More Lost in Blue 3 info and screens surface
One of the biggest complaints about Konami's Lost in Blue series is that the games feel like too much work. If you weren't working your butt off in order to ensure your own survival, you were probably leading a vision-impaired girl around the island or doing some other sort of menial task. Gamers don't necessarily mind doing "chores" in games -- if so, titles like Harvest Moon wouldn't exist. The work and play needs to be at least somewhat balanced, though, for a game to succeed.Fortunately, it seems like Konami has come to realize this, and the third installment of the series will show improvement over its predecessors (and not just artistically). A new game page for the title claims that time will be equally spent exploring the island for fun and ... well ... doing survival stuff. Lost in Blue 3 will also include over twenty minigames if you're looking for other ways to break up your daily tasks.There will be four playable characters in the game. You choose one character at the beginning to control throughout, and that person's attributes will affect the gameplay (this is something we've see before, but this time you get more characters to choose from). All in all, we think Lost in Blue 3 is shaping up nicely and might be the best game in the series yet. To check out some news screens of the upcoming survival sim (which will be released in America this month on the 18th), make sure you check out the gallery below.%Gallery-15546%[Via CVG]
VC Friday: Lords of the Virtual Console drought
After a quiet couple of weeks on the European and Aussie Virtual Consoles, this week is ... no different whatsoever. Just a single game is on offer to PAL Wii owners this Friday, with Lords of Thunder on the block for 800 points. This blogger won't pretend to be familiar with Hudson's Turbografx-16 shooter; did anybody else give this a whirl back in the day? Lords of Thunder -- Turbografx -- 800 Wii points
VC Friday: Remember the N64?
You do? Great! And do you also recall how N64 games would occasionally pop up on the Virtual Console? No?Well, we can't blame you if it slipped your mind. It's been almost three months since PAL gamers last saw an N64 game on the VC (for the record, it was Yoshi's Story), but this week sees the fuzz-tacular console make a return. And, despite our snarky tone, 1080° Snowboarding is actually an ace reminder of the console. This blogger still has fresh memories of shaving milliseconds from his best Time Trial performances with Dion Blaster. Never did pull off a 1080°, mind.Streets of Rage imitator Riot Zone makes the leap from the Turbografx-16 to complete this week's PAL platter of retro goodness. 1080° Snowboarding -- N64 -- 1000 Wii points Riot Zone -- Turbografx -- 800 Wii points
Rumor: Hudson working on New Duck Hunt for Wii?
Could Hudson Soft be working on an update to the classic Duck Hunt for Nintendo Wii? That all depends on how much faith you put into shaky cam footage, and loosely-woven stories of dad's carelessness with company property.The story goes that the boy's father works at Hudson Soft, and that the father left an unmarked disc on his desk, which the son soon discovered was an early build of New Duck Hunt for the Wii. The footage up on GameTrailers shows what looks like a 2.5D version of the original game, complete with NES sound effects, the original music, and that damn dog.We have a hard time believing this to be true, especially since the video's off-camera star could have basically guaranteed his father's termination the moment he uploaded this to the internets. Check out the blurry, shaky, job-threatening footage after the break.Update: Apparently the video's not DestinRL's, but rather one he found somewhere else on the internet. News updated accordingly.[Thanks, Peter; via Product Reviews Net]
Mario Party DS trailer and screens arrive fashionably late
Mario Party's last handheld outing did not end well. In fact, Mario Party Advance was an absolutely witless selection of dour, unimaginative minigames, the vast majority of which were way too simplistic/based on luck to be worth our time. Yes, muggins here had to review it; did you sense any bitterness? However, we maintain a degree of optimism for the arrival of Mario Party DS in just over ten days. For starters, we're looking forward to seeing how the DS's touchscreen tech is implemented, while the media you can see in this post and elsewhere shows potential. That, and the game has the bestest boxart EVAR. %Gallery-4736% [Via Games Press]
More Bomberman Land mini-game madness
After most of our more outspoken readers were pretty disappointed with Bomberman Land's maniacal math mini-game, we present you with the latest multiplayer offering from Hudson Soft. In Free Throw, players shoot basketballs while attempting to pop balloons to maximize points. What do you say, loyal readers? Does this mini-game seem more interesting?
Become a math genius in Bomberman Land
If simple math isn't your strong suit, you may have a hard time playing at least one of Bomberman Land's more than 50 mini-games. Taking a page out of the recent "brain training" craze, this mini-game will have you trying to beat out your opponents by looking at the problem and answer and choosing if addition or subtraction needs to be used to reach finish the problem. What makes this even more fun? You'll be able to match wits against your friends via the game's Game Sharing feature.
Hudson admits Bomberman Act: Zero was crap
It seems so important to have some presence on YouTube these days. Every company, network, and politician is out to reach all the obsessed YouTubers with their "message," be that "buy my product," "watch my show," or "vote for me." Typically, we don't pay these much mind. Especially those fed to us by game companies. It is somewhat refreshing then, to see Hudson open its making-of Bomberman Live video by admitting that Bomberman Act: Zero was a piece of garbage. Yes, that goes a long way towards restoring our faith in the franchise, for truly it was a festering pile. It's heartening to know that Hudson began with "let's not make another Act: Zero" as a base for their upcoming Xbox Live Arcade offering.It's okay, Hudson. We all make mistakes. As long as Bomberman Live delivers, all is forgiven.[Via selectbutton]
1UP takes a gander at Bomberman Live
For classic multiplayer fans, there is perhaps no Xbox Live Arcade title as anticipated as Bomberman Live. Published by Hudson and developed by Backbone Entertainment, Bomberman Live looks to properly bring classic Bomberman action into the online arena, and 1UP recently got an extended look at the game.. Sure, many attempts have been made -- even Saturn Bomberman had online play -- but Xbox Live gives Bomberman Live an edge unknown to previous online entries. Bomberman Live allows for up to 8 players online or 4 players locally. The game also allows multiple players on one 'box to venture online (here's hoping the game allows non-Live subscribers as guests). In addition to the traditional deathmatch mode, Bomberman Live also includes other modes, such as the Paint Bomb mode featured in recent titles. The game also features Vision camera support, which will snap a shot of each player the moment they are defeated and also give the round winner a few moments to gloat on camera. Finally, there are loads of costume pieces that players can use to customize their, um, Bombermen (Bomberfolk, Bomberpeople?). Costume pieces are unlocked by collecting Costume Balls during gameplay.All in all, it sounds like Bomberman Live is everything that old school fans could hope for. Here's hoping the game lives up to its legacy (or, at the very least, better than Bomberman Act: Zero). So, how much would you be willing to pay for "real" Bomberman.
Bomberman Live achievements are, um, live
Our friends at Xbox360Achievements.org have uncovered the achievements for Bomberman Live, which is set to debut on Xbox Live Arcade some time this summer. While the game contains plenty of achievements of the "win X number of games" variety, it also has a few that are a little ... eclectic. We're not sure which one we like better, "The Good, The Bad, and The Bombed" or "Girl Power!" The first requires you to outfit your character with all the cowboy accessories and frag an opponent that is wearing the same. The latter asks players to don the girl outfit and win a "girl only" match on Xbox Live. Of all the games that could promote girl-on-girl action, Bomberman was the last one on our minds.Hit the "read" link for the full list of achievements.[Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
Rengoku moves from PSP to mobile phones
Ah yes, remember Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory? Doesn't register a blip? How about its sequel, Rengoku 2: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N.? If neither game registers anything resembling warm or fuzzy, the metareview scores say you are not alone. It would seem that after two lackluster efforts on the PSP system, Hudson Entertainment has decided to stake its claim on the mobile phone market with yet another of their franchise titles. This Rengoku go-round has the cybernetic hero GRAM, "searching for the truth behind his existence." John Greiner, CEO of Hudson Entertainment believes its new home on the mobile platform is "a perfect fit" since it "features a healthy dose of action and adventure that cell phone gamers are sure to relish." Good riddance to bad rubbish, we say.
